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Montana Supreme Court Overturns Parental Rights Termination

Justices ordered the Division of Child and Family Services to work to reunite the woman with her son

By Molly Priddy

HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has ruled the state failed to make a reasonable effort to reunite a woman with the son who was taken away from her after he was born in Billings with methamphetamine in his system.

Justices, in a 7-0 ruling issued Tuesday, overturned the July 2018 termination of the mother’s parental rights and ordered the Division of Child and Family Services to work to reunite the woman with her son.

The court said the state was wrong not to move the infant to a placement in North Dakota, where the mother lived. Officials also failed to create opportunities to allow her to bond with her baby and didn’t arrange adequate services to help her address her substance abuse issues.

The boy has lived with foster parents in Billings since his birth in October 2016.